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TOP 10 STORIES OF THE YEAR
Special election brings new voice to council
1 Voters went to the polls in the first month of 2006, for a special election to heal a fracture left in the City Council when Councilwoman Stacey Murphy vacated her seat in August 2005.
Murphy's resignation came a week after she was charged with one felony drug possession charge and a misdemeanor child endangerment charge.
In his first bid for public office, long-time council critic David Gordon edged out former Mayor Bill Wiggins on Jan. 24 by less than 300 votes, the culmination of a campaign heralding the need for fresh leadership to overthrow the status quo and put the "people first."
With such a slim margin of victory, some questioned whether the results actually reflected the type of disenchantment with the state of local government that Gordon's campaign espoused.
Nevertheless, Gordon's presence on the council brought the influence of an outsider whose roll-up-the-sleeves approach to city business brought an unmistakably new flavor after his swearing in on Feb. 14.
Burbank residents oppose hybrid sewer alignment
2 When Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge proposed what has become known as the "hybrid" Glendale-Burbank Interceptor Sewer alignment, which would join the respective northern and southern routes already on the table, he called the plan a "win-win for all."
But after Burbank residents learned that LaBonge's professed compromise would tunnel beneath residential areas of Burbank, the backlash was swift and vigorous.
Letters flooded into the Los Angeles City Council and Public Works offices during the public review period for the draft Environmental Impact Report, the majority referring directly to the Glendale-Burbank sewer alignment.
Among the complaints waged in the more than 2,700 letters was the fact that, though the impacts of the proposed northern and southern alignments were thoroughly reviewed, no independent analysis had been conducted for LaBonge's hybrid.
Therefore, the final Environmental Impact Report, which the Los Angeles City Council certified on Nov. 14, reflected a flawed and incomplete process.
The community's staunch and unwavering opposition to the hybrid may have won some concession — such as a pledge from Los Angeles officials to keep disruptive shafts and maintenance holes out of Burbank — but the community's general consensus remains that Los Angeles' unwillingness to conduct a separate analysis of the hybrid gives Burbank formidable legal footing to oppose the proposal in the legal arena.
One month after the Los Angeles City Council adopted the impact report, a step toward the project breaking ground in 2011, the Burbank City Attorney's office filed a suit against Los Angeles in Superior Court.
Airport agreement touches off concerns
3 In a community notoriously skeptical of any possible expansion at the Bob Hope Airport, the year 2006 was no exception.
An April letter from Airport Authority President Chris Holden asked the City Council to consider accelerating the terms of the 2005 development agreement to allow the authority to utilize an off-limits parcel in an attempt to hedge off anticipated parking shortages.
But after Commissioner Charlie Lombardo told the council, in what he later called a "senior moment," that the authority had no intention to modify the existing agreement, community disgruntlement quickly followed.
By the end of the month, the authority had withdrawn its request to access the off-limits parcel, called the southwest quadrant, indicating designs to pursue other solutions to remedy expected parking problems.
Though it remains to be seen whether the airport's parking capacity will accommodate the numerous travelers who use the Bob Hope Airport in the long-term, a widely publicized summer parking crunch did not materialize due, in part, to fewer summer airline passengers than anticipated.
Fence ordinance sparks outcry
4 Burbank homeowners flocked to City Hall en masse when word spread that the council was considering an ordinance that would modify the nearly 40-year-old standards governing fences, walls and hedges.
Two Burbank homeowners sparked the upheaval after filing 571 complaints against residences that were in violation of municipal standards, a move that was said to be in retaliation for complaints filed against their own property.
In spite of the community's heated response to the 571 complaints, pushing the issue exposed the fact that some fences, walls and hedges were in violation of outdated city codes that were in need of review.
On March 7, the City Council passed interim fencing standards, which raised the height limit for residential fences by one foot in most cases and allowed existing fences to remain in place as long as they do not pose a safety hazard.
The council's vote also established a Blue Ribbon Task Force, which would review the interim standards before they are put in place permanently.
Since municipal law requires city inspectors to investigate all complaints filed against homeowners, inspectors were obligated to respond to all 571 that were filed.
At the onset of inspections, city planners predicted that quite a few properties were consistent with the old fence codes and two-thirds of the complaints would likely be eliminated immediately because they were in compliance with the new standards.
Smoking ban drifts into Burbank
5 At the request of several Burbank residents, the council took up the idea of joining the ranks of cities like Calabasas and Santa Monica that prohibit smoking in public places.
Proponents argue that a smoking ban would make for a cleaner and healthier environment in city centers. But opponents contend that limiting behavior infringes upon personal rights.
At the request of the City Council, the city attorney's office produced several municipal smoking ordinances already in place in other cities. The constraints range from all-out prohibition of smoking in public to specified limits that designate areas where smokers can smoke outside.
The story snagged the attention of the national press and representatives from health organizations like the American Cancer Society turned up in Council Chambers when city officials discussed the issue at the Dec. 5 council meeting.
At that meeting the council directed city staffers to outline a range of elements for a potential ordinance, which will go before the council and the public in what should be a contentious hearing process.
Standard prompts business concerns
6 In what was arguably the biggest rallying of Burbank's business community in 2006, the Burbank Chamber of Commerce led a contingency of property owners and developers opposed to a land-use standard that would limit the scope of development projects.
The proposed standard, called the Trip-Based Intensity Measurement Standard, or TIMS, would base the allowable square footage for new developments on a formula that takes into account both the size of a parcel and the number of expected vehicle trips the business is expected to create.
Chamber of Commerce members and officials argued that although the city's efforts to address traffic congestion and alleged overdevelopment were laudable, the trip-based model was only one approach and the possible negative financial impacts had not been taken into account.
Criticism also surfaced that city officials were trying to ramrod a proposed general land-use plan without adequately discussing the ramifications of some elements of the proposal, including the TIMS standards.
But city officials countered that there was no rush to adopt the land-use plan, which will lay out a blueprint for development over the next 20 years, and decided at its July 27 meeting to further analyze the traffic-based standard before putting the plan into place.
Analysis was launched into the economic value of projects that are acceptable under today's standards compared to the potential value to the economy of projects that would be developed within the traffic-based development model.
Outside land-use and traffic consultants are also being consulted to assess the feasibility of the city's proposed models.
City employee gets convicted for stealing
7 Long-time city employee Jolene Elliot's conviction in November on felony embezzlement charges followed three months of outrage and disbelief from Boy Scout parents and leaders.
Elliot, 44, pleaded no contest to stealing $10,000 from Boy Scout Troop 210 between Jan. 24, 2004, and April 17, 2006, during her tenure as troop treasurer.
Elliot, who has worked for the city for 25 years, was sentenced to three years of probation in lieu of a two-year prison sentence. She also received 100 hours of mandated community service hours and full restitution to Troop 210.
Some who were involved with the Scouts were not satisfied with what they considered a lax sentence, especially in light of the fact that Elliot is alleged to have taken funds from the Scouts beyond $10,000, a charge that cannot be filed due to a three-year statute of limitations. But Judge Patrick Hegarty's sentence reflected the fact that Elliot had no criminal record.
After her arrest, Elliot was moved from her position in the City Clerk's office to the Recycling Center. She is still currently on the books as a city employee, but the future of her employment is under investigation. The city has maintained that Elliot's was always supervised during her involvement in city elections as a municipal records clerk.
City looks at codes governing RVs
8 Recreational vehicle owners swiftly joined Traffic and Transportation Committee discussions about potential changes to codes governing RVs on residential streets in Burbank.
In response to complaints that RVs posed unsightly and often hazardous conditions on city streets, RV owners bemoaned the lack of available storage locations away from their homes and asserted that a proposed 24-hour permit to allow travelers to load and unload their vehicles imposed impractical time constraints.
When the issue went before the City Council in December, both RV owners and Traffic and Transportation Committee members voiced the desire to see proposed code changes return to the committee for further consideration before any recommendations went before the council.
Council members reported receiving numerous e-mails and other correspondence on both sides of the issue, concerns that will likely be aired at subsequent committee meetings. The matter is slated to return to the council in June.
Entertainment studios cut back workforce
9 The location of Warner Bros. Studios, NBC and the Disney Corp. in Burbank are among the staples that have earned the city the reputation of the "Media Capital of the World." But in 2006, studio workforce cutbacks — both inside and outside Burbank — begged the question of the future of entertainment powerhouses with a long history in Burbank.
During 2006, Warner Bros. laid off 200 workers, four months before Disney announced in December that 160 feature-animation employees would be let go due to slowing production schedules. In October, NBC officials said they would cut 700 jobs as a part of an attempt to shave $750 million from its budget expenditures in 2008. It is still unclear how many jobs will directly impact Burbank.
Economists said that media-related workforce cutbacks reflected a larger entertainment-industry trend of a "sliming down" in production.
Krekorian takes Assembly seat
10 Burbank Unified School District Trustee Paul Krekorian won the 43rd State Assembly District seat during the Nov. 7 Congressional election.
Krekorian, a Democrat, won termed-out Majority Leader Dario Frommer's seat with 62.9% of the vote.
He also beat Republican and Burbank resident Michael Agbaba, who won 30% of the vote. After winning the election, Krekorian spoke about the issues he would look into as a legislator.
A strong public education system, with a focus on vocational training for students who do not go to college, equal access to health care and relief from traffic congestion are some of the issues Krekorian said he would prioritize during his term in the state Assembly.
Krekorian, whose district includes Glendale, Burbank and Silver Lake, took the Assembly seat on Dec. 4 after being sworn in with 78 other legislators in the Capitol. He wrote a bill, AB 80, aimed at improved environmental standards for the construction of public schools, on the same day.
Krekorian was elected to the Burbank Board of Education in 2003, along with current president Ted Bunch.
As president of the board, Krekorian started a series of neighborhood coffee meetings for parents and the community to get together and talk about issues in education.
While Krekorian served on the board for nearly four years, the board adopted efficiency standards as part of its modernization program.
The standards included implementing alternative energy systems, building facilities with more energy-efficient technology and modifying construction projects that reduce the need for electricity and increase natural lighting in buildings.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Market proposal spurs controversy
Whole Foods Market's proposal to build a 60,000-square-foot store at the corner of Alameda Avenue and Main Street spurred ardent opposition and support for the health food chain.
The issue emerged after the planning board denied a variance for the project, which would have reduced its setback requirements — the separation between the structure and the property line.
Opponents say the project is too big for its space, will add to traffic congestion, and will create safety hazards in a neighborhood of schools and other markets.
Proponents welcome the project, saying it will be a great benefit to the community.
Planning department staffers are working with Whole Foods officials to see whether they want to make any changes to the project proposal before the appeal goes before the City Council in January.
Parade returns with renewed vigor
After a year on hiatus, Burbank on Parade, the city's traditional caravan of floats and representatives along Olive Avenue, returned.
The parade was canceled in 2005, when it attracted little interest from volunteers facing scheduling conflicts and strained preparations. That was coming off of the lackluster 2004 parade, when the parade date coincided with Armenian Genocide festivities.
But this year, volunteers — more than 125 of them — ushered in the event's triumphant return, along with 2,000 participants who marched or rode in the parade.
When the parade began, on April 21, Grand Marshall Rob Fukuzaki, a KABC-TV Channel 7 sports anchor, helped usher in the parade's theme, For the Love of the Game.
Local sports dignitaries made special appearances, including Olympic silver medalist pole vaulter and Burroughs High School graduate Ron Morris and former heavyweight boxer Rocky Pepeli, who is now a Realtor in Burbank.
Players from the Burroughs High football team also joined the procession aboard a Burbank Fire Department truck.
Organizers said it was a success, saying this year's parade attendance exceeded that of the past few years.
Modernization hits stride at schools
With a $122.5-million bond that passed in 1998, the modernization of Burbank schools began on schedule.
Luther Burbank Middle School was the first school to begin modernization in April with an estimated cost of $12.8 million.
The school has a new underground technology infrastructure, an art facility, a nurse's office and other structural improvements.
The remaining three projects, McKinley and Providencia elementary schools and Monterey High School, will have overlapping construction schedules, with McKinley School beginning its modernization in 2007 and ending in 2008. Monterey High School will begin work in early 2008 and overlap with Providencia Elementary School's construction, which is scheduled to start at the end of 2008 and run through 2010.
McKinley Elementary School's projected cost for modernization is $7.6 million.
All of the school's classrooms will receive air conditioning, new lighting and telephone intercom systems, among other improvements.
Modernization continued after 2005, a year in which officials faced questions about problems in school-facilities construction — problems included small missteps like boilers left in school basements with no way to hook them up, and larger structural issues like flooding in the John Burroughs High School gym, excessive leaking in the school's roof, and a gym at Burbank High School that allowed dust from the track to blow into the building.
Since those mistakes, much of the school staff initially responsible for overseeing the construction has changed, including Ali Kiafar, the previous director of maintenance and operations, on whom much of the botched construction was blamed.
The last school to be modernized is Providencia Elementary School.
The total estimated cost for modernization is $4.5 million. The school will undergo classroom renovations and receive new fire alarm lines and underground power.
1 Voters went to the polls in the first month of 2006, for a special election to heal a fracture left in the City Council when Councilwoman Stacey Murphy vacated her seat in August 2005.
Murphy's resignation came a week after she was charged with one felony drug possession charge and a misdemeanor child endangerment charge.
In his first bid for public office, long-time council critic David Gordon edged out former Mayor Bill Wiggins on Jan. 24 by less than 300 votes, the culmination of a campaign heralding the need for fresh leadership to overthrow the status quo and put the "people first."
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Nevertheless, Gordon's presence on the council brought the influence of an outsider whose roll-up-the-sleeves approach to city business brought an unmistakably new flavor after his swearing in on Feb. 14.
Burbank residents oppose hybrid sewer alignment
2 When Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge proposed what has become known as the "hybrid" Glendale-Burbank Interceptor Sewer alignment, which would join the respective northern and southern routes already on the table, he called the plan a "win-win for all."
But after Burbank residents learned that LaBonge's professed compromise would tunnel beneath residential areas of Burbank, the backlash was swift and vigorous.
Letters flooded into the Los Angeles City Council and Public Works offices during the public review period for the draft Environmental Impact Report, the majority referring directly to the Glendale-Burbank sewer alignment.
Among the complaints waged in the more than 2,700 letters was the fact that, though the impacts of the proposed northern and southern alignments were thoroughly reviewed, no independent analysis had been conducted for LaBonge's hybrid.
Therefore, the final Environmental Impact Report, which the Los Angeles City Council certified on Nov. 14, reflected a flawed and incomplete process.
The community's staunch and unwavering opposition to the hybrid may have won some concession — such as a pledge from Los Angeles officials to keep disruptive shafts and maintenance holes out of Burbank — but the community's general consensus remains that Los Angeles' unwillingness to conduct a separate analysis of the hybrid gives Burbank formidable legal footing to oppose the proposal in the legal arena.
One month after the Los Angeles City Council adopted the impact report, a step toward the project breaking ground in 2011, the Burbank City Attorney's office filed a suit against Los Angeles in Superior Court.
Airport agreement touches off concerns
3 In a community notoriously skeptical of any possible expansion at the Bob Hope Airport, the year 2006 was no exception.
An April letter from Airport Authority President Chris Holden asked the City Council to consider accelerating the terms of the 2005 development agreement to allow the authority to utilize an off-limits parcel in an attempt to hedge off anticipated parking shortages.
But after Commissioner Charlie Lombardo told the council, in what he later called a "senior moment," that the authority had no intention to modify the existing agreement, community disgruntlement quickly followed.
By the end of the month, the authority had withdrawn its request to access the off-limits parcel, called the southwest quadrant, indicating designs to pursue other solutions to remedy expected parking problems.
Though it remains to be seen whether the airport's parking capacity will accommodate the numerous travelers who use the Bob Hope Airport in the long-term, a widely publicized summer parking crunch did not materialize due, in part, to fewer summer airline passengers than anticipated.
Fence ordinance sparks outcry
4 Burbank homeowners flocked to City Hall en masse when word spread that the council was considering an ordinance that would modify the nearly 40-year-old standards governing fences, walls and hedges.
Two Burbank homeowners sparked the upheaval after filing 571 complaints against residences that were in violation of municipal standards, a move that was said to be in retaliation for complaints filed against their own property.
In spite of the community's heated response to the 571 complaints, pushing the issue exposed the fact that some fences, walls and hedges were in violation of outdated city codes that were in need of review.
On March 7, the City Council passed interim fencing standards, which raised the height limit for residential fences by one foot in most cases and allowed existing fences to remain in place as long as they do not pose a safety hazard.
The council's vote also established a Blue Ribbon Task Force, which would review the interim standards before they are put in place permanently.
Since municipal law requires city inspectors to investigate all complaints filed against homeowners, inspectors were obligated to respond to all 571 that were filed.
At the onset of inspections, city planners predicted that quite a few properties were consistent with the old fence codes and two-thirds of the complaints would likely be eliminated immediately because they were in compliance with the new standards.
Smoking ban drifts into Burbank
5 At the request of several Burbank residents, the council took up the idea of joining the ranks of cities like Calabasas and Santa Monica that prohibit smoking in public places.
Proponents argue that a smoking ban would make for a cleaner and healthier environment in city centers. But opponents contend that limiting behavior infringes upon personal rights.
At the request of the City Council, the city attorney's office produced several municipal smoking ordinances already in place in other cities. The constraints range from all-out prohibition of smoking in public to specified limits that designate areas where smokers can smoke outside.
The story snagged the attention of the national press and representatives from health organizations like the American Cancer Society turned up in Council Chambers when city officials discussed the issue at the Dec. 5 council meeting.
At that meeting the council directed city staffers to outline a range of elements for a potential ordinance, which will go before the council and the public in what should be a contentious hearing process.
Standard prompts business concerns
6 In what was arguably the biggest rallying of Burbank's business community in 2006, the Burbank Chamber of Commerce led a contingency of property owners and developers opposed to a land-use standard that would limit the scope of development projects.
The proposed standard, called the Trip-Based Intensity Measurement Standard, or TIMS, would base the allowable square footage for new developments on a formula that takes into account both the size of a parcel and the number of expected vehicle trips the business is expected to create.
Chamber of Commerce members and officials argued that although the city's efforts to address traffic congestion and alleged overdevelopment were laudable, the trip-based model was only one approach and the possible negative financial impacts had not been taken into account.
Criticism also surfaced that city officials were trying to ramrod a proposed general land-use plan without adequately discussing the ramifications of some elements of the proposal, including the TIMS standards.
But city officials countered that there was no rush to adopt the land-use plan, which will lay out a blueprint for development over the next 20 years, and decided at its July 27 meeting to further analyze the traffic-based standard before putting the plan into place.
Analysis was launched into the economic value of projects that are acceptable under today's standards compared to the potential value to the economy of projects that would be developed within the traffic-based development model.
Outside land-use and traffic consultants are also being consulted to assess the feasibility of the city's proposed models.
City employee gets convicted for stealing
7 Long-time city employee Jolene Elliot's conviction in November on felony embezzlement charges followed three months of outrage and disbelief from Boy Scout parents and leaders.
Elliot, 44, pleaded no contest to stealing $10,000 from Boy Scout Troop 210 between Jan. 24, 2004, and April 17, 2006, during her tenure as troop treasurer.
Elliot, who has worked for the city for 25 years, was sentenced to three years of probation in lieu of a two-year prison sentence. She also received 100 hours of mandated community service hours and full restitution to Troop 210.
Some who were involved with the Scouts were not satisfied with what they considered a lax sentence, especially in light of the fact that Elliot is alleged to have taken funds from the Scouts beyond $10,000, a charge that cannot be filed due to a three-year statute of limitations. But Judge Patrick Hegarty's sentence reflected the fact that Elliot had no criminal record.
After her arrest, Elliot was moved from her position in the City Clerk's office to the Recycling Center. She is still currently on the books as a city employee, but the future of her employment is under investigation. The city has maintained that Elliot's was always supervised during her involvement in city elections as a municipal records clerk.
City looks at codes governing RVs
8 Recreational vehicle owners swiftly joined Traffic and Transportation Committee discussions about potential changes to codes governing RVs on residential streets in Burbank.
In response to complaints that RVs posed unsightly and often hazardous conditions on city streets, RV owners bemoaned the lack of available storage locations away from their homes and asserted that a proposed 24-hour permit to allow travelers to load and unload their vehicles imposed impractical time constraints.
When the issue went before the City Council in December, both RV owners and Traffic and Transportation Committee members voiced the desire to see proposed code changes return to the committee for further consideration before any recommendations went before the council.
Council members reported receiving numerous e-mails and other correspondence on both sides of the issue, concerns that will likely be aired at subsequent committee meetings. The matter is slated to return to the council in June.
Entertainment studios cut back workforce
9 The location of Warner Bros. Studios, NBC and the Disney Corp. in Burbank are among the staples that have earned the city the reputation of the "Media Capital of the World." But in 2006, studio workforce cutbacks — both inside and outside Burbank — begged the question of the future of entertainment powerhouses with a long history in Burbank.
During 2006, Warner Bros. laid off 200 workers, four months before Disney announced in December that 160 feature-animation employees would be let go due to slowing production schedules. In October, NBC officials said they would cut 700 jobs as a part of an attempt to shave $750 million from its budget expenditures in 2008. It is still unclear how many jobs will directly impact Burbank.
Economists said that media-related workforce cutbacks reflected a larger entertainment-industry trend of a "sliming down" in production.
Krekorian takes Assembly seat
10 Burbank Unified School District Trustee Paul Krekorian won the 43rd State Assembly District seat during the Nov. 7 Congressional election.
Krekorian, a Democrat, won termed-out Majority Leader Dario Frommer's seat with 62.9% of the vote.
He also beat Republican and Burbank resident Michael Agbaba, who won 30% of the vote. After winning the election, Krekorian spoke about the issues he would look into as a legislator.
A strong public education system, with a focus on vocational training for students who do not go to college, equal access to health care and relief from traffic congestion are some of the issues Krekorian said he would prioritize during his term in the state Assembly.
Krekorian, whose district includes Glendale, Burbank and Silver Lake, took the Assembly seat on Dec. 4 after being sworn in with 78 other legislators in the Capitol. He wrote a bill, AB 80, aimed at improved environmental standards for the construction of public schools, on the same day.
Krekorian was elected to the Burbank Board of Education in 2003, along with current president Ted Bunch.
As president of the board, Krekorian started a series of neighborhood coffee meetings for parents and the community to get together and talk about issues in education.
While Krekorian served on the board for nearly four years, the board adopted efficiency standards as part of its modernization program.
The standards included implementing alternative energy systems, building facilities with more energy-efficient technology and modifying construction projects that reduce the need for electricity and increase natural lighting in buildings.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Market proposal spurs controversy
Whole Foods Market's proposal to build a 60,000-square-foot store at the corner of Alameda Avenue and Main Street spurred ardent opposition and support for the health food chain.
The issue emerged after the planning board denied a variance for the project, which would have reduced its setback requirements — the separation between the structure and the property line.
Opponents say the project is too big for its space, will add to traffic congestion, and will create safety hazards in a neighborhood of schools and other markets.
Proponents welcome the project, saying it will be a great benefit to the community.
Planning department staffers are working with Whole Foods officials to see whether they want to make any changes to the project proposal before the appeal goes before the City Council in January.
Parade returns with renewed vigor
After a year on hiatus, Burbank on Parade, the city's traditional caravan of floats and representatives along Olive Avenue, returned.
The parade was canceled in 2005, when it attracted little interest from volunteers facing scheduling conflicts and strained preparations. That was coming off of the lackluster 2004 parade, when the parade date coincided with Armenian Genocide festivities.
But this year, volunteers — more than 125 of them — ushered in the event's triumphant return, along with 2,000 participants who marched or rode in the parade.
When the parade began, on April 21, Grand Marshall Rob Fukuzaki, a KABC-TV Channel 7 sports anchor, helped usher in the parade's theme, For the Love of the Game.
Local sports dignitaries made special appearances, including Olympic silver medalist pole vaulter and Burroughs High School graduate Ron Morris and former heavyweight boxer Rocky Pepeli, who is now a Realtor in Burbank.
Players from the Burroughs High football team also joined the procession aboard a Burbank Fire Department truck.
Organizers said it was a success, saying this year's parade attendance exceeded that of the past few years.
Modernization hits stride at schools
With a $122.5-million bond that passed in 1998, the modernization of Burbank schools began on schedule.
Luther Burbank Middle School was the first school to begin modernization in April with an estimated cost of $12.8 million.
The school has a new underground technology infrastructure, an art facility, a nurse's office and other structural improvements.
The remaining three projects, McKinley and Providencia elementary schools and Monterey High School, will have overlapping construction schedules, with McKinley School beginning its modernization in 2007 and ending in 2008. Monterey High School will begin work in early 2008 and overlap with Providencia Elementary School's construction, which is scheduled to start at the end of 2008 and run through 2010.
McKinley Elementary School's projected cost for modernization is $7.6 million.
All of the school's classrooms will receive air conditioning, new lighting and telephone intercom systems, among other improvements.
Modernization continued after 2005, a year in which officials faced questions about problems in school-facilities construction — problems included small missteps like boilers left in school basements with no way to hook them up, and larger structural issues like flooding in the John Burroughs High School gym, excessive leaking in the school's roof, and a gym at Burbank High School that allowed dust from the track to blow into the building.
Since those mistakes, much of the school staff initially responsible for overseeing the construction has changed, including Ali Kiafar, the previous director of maintenance and operations, on whom much of the botched construction was blamed.
The last school to be modernized is Providencia Elementary School.
The total estimated cost for modernization is $4.5 million. The school will undergo classroom renovations and receive new fire alarm lines and underground power.
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